At the start of this year, hardly anyone could have predicted how the rest of 2020 would pan out. Just a few months in, and the world has been struck by a pandemic, putting most countries into lockdown situations where official government advice encourages everyone other than key workers to stay home, only leaving to buy food, pick up medication, or collect other absolute essentials. It’s not all too surprising that many businesses have struggled profoundly because of this. Thousands of companies are having to furlough or lay off workers and many companies are shutting up shop completely, going into administration or having to call things a day. However, if your employees are able to work from home on a remote basis, your business stands a fighting chance of faring through this situation. You are, however, going to have to make some adjustments to make sure that everyone remains as productive as possible when they don’t have their managers watching their every move. Here are just a few different ways to keep your staff base as productive as possible during these times!
Be Flexible and Compassionate
First things first, it’s important to be compassionate during this time. Times are hard. People are losing loved ones. People are falling ill. People’s partners may be experiencing unemployment and some of your employees may be experiencing financial hardship as a result. Stress, anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed are running high throughout the nation. Kids are also off school, meaning that some of your staff may be trying to juggle childcare at the same time as working. If staff are struggling, offer them as much support as you can. This can mean being a little more lenient with time off, being more flexible with working hours and maybe taking weight off in terms of overachieving targets.
Set KPIs and Goals
One of the top tips for managing remote employees is to set all staff members KPIs or goals. KPI stands for “key performance indicator”. Setting KPIs or goals can ensure that all employees know what work is expected of them and will help to give them something to work towards. It can also put off slacking, as taking too many breaks or not working properly will become measurable if they don’t hit their KPIs or goals.
Invest in Remote Working Software
You may need to invest in some extra software that’s specially designed to help remote workers during this time. Programmes like Microsoft Teams can help remote workers to communicate quickly, easily and effectively with one another, even while they’re all working from home. Whether they need answers to some quickfire questions, need to hold a virtual meeting, or anything else, this kind of software can make sure everyone is kept in the loop in regards to projects, tasks, campaigns, deadlines and more.
These are just a few tips and tricks that should help you to get the most from your employees during these difficult times. Hopefully, they’ll help to keep everyone productive and on track!
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